As always,NW, wonderful collection of tweets that tell the story of this horrendous day. Thank you so much for all you do for us at TOD to keep us informed, and for your fearlessness in defending President Obama. You and Chips are a very powerful team.

LL, DF, and Mtmarilyn, I am having my second glass of red. Feels good to take the edge off with candles lit as well. This is a day in our history that we witness with great sadness and some emotional anger; but one thing for sure, I am so grateful that PBO and VPBiden are the two in the WH.

Chips and Nerdy W., what would we do without you all and all of the great minds here? I just want to say to our Chips, you give us so much to be so thankful for during this presidency. You do not have to do this, but yet you faithfully each day give us a place to support, and respect our president and his Administration.

I love you so much for loving this wonderful man we elected as our President of these United States twice. Chips, there is Never a doubt in my heart and soul that you do not love and respect President Barack Obama. And I will tell the world that because I believe it with all of my being. You give all of our beautiful TOD family a good and decent reason to come to this beautiful place daily and enjoy our conversations with respect and love for PBO. And you do not allow anything less than that. I love that about you. You stand firmly on what you believe in about this president and you are Never afraid to show it to Anyone. This and all that you do here makes TOD a very special place to be daily.

I appreciate so much the fact that you take the time to keep this place clear of the noise, ugly minds, and disrespectfulness for our president and his team completely out of this space. Thank you, Chips. I had to get this off of my mind, before I said goodnight to you and my TOD family. I love you dearly, and I respect you with so much love and goodness. I trust you with my very life, and that is very special to me and my brother. Keep doing what you give to us daily with firmness, love, and grace.

Have a wonderful evening, Chips. Get some rest. You have some beautiful people here, and POB is so blessed to have this family having his back.

Good night, my TOD family. We will get through this with this great president and VP. Trust me. I love you all dearly. You give me hope, love, and a joy to keep working to do all that I can to make sure that my support is behind a great and decent man, our beloved President, Barack Obama. HZ

NerdyW, I’ve been trying to keep up with you all afternoon…unsuccessfully. You are truly a slippery customer but you keep me on my toes, and as this is my only exercise, I truly thank you! ;);) [Man, you must be very fit! :grin: ]

Many of you are too young to remember, but during the Iranian hostage crisis, Carter did little campaigning, trying to project his total focus on the crisis and was laughed at by a lot of people for not being able to do more than one thing at a time.

The same people who laughed at Carter for staying in WH during hostage crisis are now attacking Obama for not staying in WH during this one.

How many rockets has it stopped this time around?
Israel says that almost 1,000 rockets have been fired into its territory by Palestinian militants since hostilities began on 8 July, and that 87 per cent of them have been intercepted and destroyed by Iron Dome.

Are there any drawbacks to Iron Dome?

Apart from the risk of injury from falling shrapnel, some have suggested that the shield creates political risks by giving Israeli politicians a sense of invulnerability, allowing them to pursue a policy of “conflict management” rather than looking for lasting peace. “Iron Dome has altered the calculus of Israel’s political echelons in ways they have yet to understand,” a former senior Israeli official tells The Economist. “It allows Israel to resist internal public and military pressure for a quick end to the conflict, and keep bombing Gaza.”

What if an Iron Dome-like system was in place in Gaza? Would they then HAVE TO TALK TO EACH OTHER?

Can’t believe that I just heard this old goat on ABC local news say that PBO doesn’t look good on this airline issue, and his foreign policy creds will take a hit. It is so upsetting how they manage to blame PBO for evey fu****g thing.

“What if an Iron Dome-like system was in place in Gaza? Would they then HAVE TO TALK TO EACH OTHER?”

My answer, DF, is that the Iron Dome would do very little for Gaza. Israel has some of the most sophisticated weapons in the world. That is why Israel can invade Gaza with impunity. Israel also has a powerful supporter, the United Sates. I don’t know if this is at all feasible, but may be Palestinians should consider adopting the philosophy and method of non-violent civil disobedience; especially if Israel intends on reinstating its occupation of Gaza and the West Bank. So far, Hamas’ firing of crude rockets into Israel has accomplished absolutely nothing for the Palestinians, except that in this recent situation more than 240 Palestinians have died compared to 1 Israeli.

The ideal solution for the Israeli/Palestinian conflict, is the creation of an Independent State of Palestine–the so called two sate solution. I am, however, increasingly convinced that right wing Israelis will NEVER accept the creation of a viable Independent Palestinian state next to Israel. What they seem to prefer, is a perpetual Apartheid Israel State, of Jews and Palestinians, with the Palestinian territories in Gaza and West Bank serving the same purpose as the Black “Bantustans” homelands of Apartheid South Africa. Unless the International community can by force imposes a “two state ” solution on Israel, there is no way Israel will ever accept a viable independent Palestinian state. Given that reality, I think the alternative is for the Palestinians to start advocating for a one State solution in which Palestinians Arabs have equal rights with Jewish Israelis. Such a state has to guarantee full recognition and protection for Hebrew/ Jewish culture and Arabic/ Islamic culture. Absence of a two state solution, or an egalitarian one state that treats Jews and Arabs as equals, the world will have to accept the perpetual cycles of violence between the occupiers (Israelis) and the occupied (Palestinians).

YES. I’m so grateful to FLOTUS for lifting up these children and encouraging them to be more mindful in their approach to food. And having lots of fun doing it. I’ll be tuning into the event tomorrow, for sure.

The NY Times has an editorial up correctly identifying the West as the cause of the Gaza story that is unfolding. This is breathtaking, shocking.
The takeaway is that the current living situation in Gaza—the status quo— is so onerous due to Israel’s retaliation for the Hamas/Fatah alliance and petition for full membership in the UN—that the bombs and the tanks will be borne in the hope that something will change for the better as the end result.

“The current escalation in Gaza is a direct result of the choice by Israel and the West to obstruct the implementation of the April 2014 Palestinian reconciliation agreement. The road out of the crisis is a reversal of that policy.”

I look at that picture Bobfr and agree with the lady I met in Orlando – eons ago – who told me she never went over the seas or up in the skies. She was travelling to Canada, by bus, to see her daughter. At the time, we laughed – now I am in full agreement.

Too true Bob – but I think my days of travelling outside of my country are over. We flew to the UK a couple of months after 9/11 and it didn’t bother me – but Putin stirring up another war is something I cannot wrap my head around – I find myself putting him in the same camp as a 1930s German leader who was so keen on taking over other nation’s land and didn’t realize there is a step too far.

You just can’t cure stupid, Nena! I am sure the “Negro” Public Defender must be relieved! If I were an attorney, I certainly would not like to defend such an ignorant racist. Some one should give Thomas Thorpe Glenn Greenwald’s number. I hear he specializes in defending white racists.

Overwhelmed by the worldwide events of this day: response is reality-based – laundry, cleaning, walk to do errands, too enthusiastically using the stairs, checking in online here and FB. If I may share: I have made a startling discovery, one Chipsticks and others here may find very useful in future. After nearly skipping dinner due to fatigue, settled on basmati rice, with tomatoes, and nori, cheesy puffs on the side. Today I have learned the most efficient way to eat cheesy puffs is with chopsticks. So now, try it, it’s remarkable! (sheesh)

BEAUTIFUL INDEED KASAI…WE ARE BLESSED TO HAVE PBO…I AM BEWILDERED BY THE RIDICULOUS PEOPLE IN THIS COUNTRY AND THE WAY THEY ACT TOWARD HIM…BLAMING HIM FOR ANY AND ALL EVENTS THAT OCCUR. THEY NEED TO LOOK IN THE MIRROR AND SEE THAT THEIR TRUE ENEMIES…ARE THEMSELVES!

Lovely picture of POTUS and Sasha. Prayer is the key, always pray for our President and his family. In the good times and bad. I am just looking forward to the Obamas vacation in August.Just some quiet relaxing time for them to just sit back and chill.

Heavy heart. Sad eyes. Stunned, then numb , then angry. It is all too much and unbearable, but we must bear it, because Here We Are. Like the families in Gaza or New Orleans in 2005: Evacuate? Oh of course, let’s see where is my Evacuate Button on the Dashboard of my spaceship? As the wonderful wise midwife said to me in childbirth prep class: The only way out is through. No matter where we go, there we are! I thank God almighty, spirit guides, the Universe, and the WWWeb that there is TOD , and that Chips built it and grew it and Nerdy Wonka and Zizi2 and Liberal Librarian and all the Magnificent BR’s I am too foggy to recall right now, get up every day and brush teeth, gird loins, rev their engines and zoom into the big sky to find truth, share stories, catch sorry outfits and scoundrels and hollow people, and bring together, those who are heavy laden, good, and ready to share and make a way out of No-way, and feed us water us brush us down and send us back out on the trail with a laugh a smile a truth and a reminder that we are not alone and we are up to whatever we need to do, as exemplified by the great, wise, generous, righteous and worthy leader, the true Commander in Chief: President Barack Obama. Blessings flow forth all around him, his precious and lovely family, his team , his Warrior Protectors, his advisers , his fellow leaders who can glance his way to be reminded THUS is why we are here; THIS is how it is done. THIS is power wielded and utilized wisely, for the good if one and all. He is here. He’s got this. He is not afraid, and we are surrounded by fellow travelers who long for, believe in, and step out in faith for the Common Good. Sleep well TOD Family. Love to one and all.

“THIS is power wielded and utilized wisely, for the good if one and all. He is here. He’s got this. He is not afraid, and we are surrounded by fellow travelers who long for, believe in, and step out in faith for the Common Good.”

Your comment is truly ART and beautiful art, at that, nancie!!! Thank you

Yes. This is our world. Choose. Thank you nanciereealthai, and Thank you all of TOD.
and President Barack Obama: awesomeness. We are all in this together. And we will transform it.
We will “step out in faith for the Common Good.” yes, let’s get our rest now.

There are some European countries who need to be explaining things to Putin. The US cannot do this alone. It seems even our dippy PM has acknowledged the reality – after initially mumbling his nonsense, must have called in the speechwriter

As for the black box being taken to Moscow – SURELY it belongs to Malaysia – but then again – Putin wants to remake the USSR – Germany should note that he wants half of their country back under his thumb.

Well, I already passed it on to several family members, one of whom does choral singing around the world. I told them all that if they don’t like it, just shows that I am the one with real taste in the family.

Thank you for posting this masterpiece; loved the little girl who was right there in the mix. This is the way to finish off the news day; I’ve read everything, listened to everything and now the nerves needs a break.

Time for prayer, meditation and reflection.

Wishing everyone a restful night if at all possible.

May God bless President Obama and his family, the Administration, this country and world at large, and may God bless the TOD community .

Nerdy, I so admire your tireless approach to every major event and issue. You’ve kept going through this dark day, delivering critical information fighting battles and presenting important tweets while many of the rest of us just reached our limit of endurance and withdrew. I found I had to step back or lose it earlier this evening and then came back to see how relentlessly you were soldiering on. I honestly don’t know how you do it, but I’m grateful for all you give of yourself to help make this the most important place to be through every crisis.

A little reality for Tzar Vlad and his fellow oligarchs … thanks to President Obama …

“Let me add my two cents:

a) if the previous sanctions didn’t impact the Russian economy so much as the very fact of them being imposed, but this time the sanctions themselves seem quite painful. It definitely won’t be a disaster, but I agree with Morgan Stanley’s estimate: we are looking at least at a 1% GDP fall. 1% GDP is quite a lot. The household logic “If you subtract a penny from a dollar you still have a dollar” does not apply here.

b) the pro-Kremling crowd will definitely crawl out of their dens and say: doesn’t matter that the Americans are closing off their capital market, we’ll just borrow from the Chinese. The Chinese will have none of it, though. They are hard bargainers. Something could be borrowed from them, but that would be a total ripoff. As economist Mikhail Krutikhin notes, China financing the Russian megaprojects would mean Russia drifting towards indentured servitude.”